Helicopter busy with three medivacs

SHETLAND coastguard helicopter was tasked three times on Saturday to airlift patients to the Gilbert Bain Hospital, in Lerwick.

In the morning, Search and Rescue 102 was called out to transfer to hospital a crew member from the supply vessel Highland Eagle, around 50 miles to the northwest of Scalloway, before being called out again at 8.25pm to airlift a man with a suspected heart attack off the cruise liner Costa Pacifica.

The man had initially become unwell while the 291 metre vessel had been in Lerwick harbour during most of Saturday, but Shetland Coastguard was only alerted when the vessel was already well to the west of the isles on her way to Iceland.

The man was finally airlifted when the Costa Pacifica was near the Clair oil field.

The helicopter was hardly back to base when an oil worker on the North Cormorant oil installation, north of Unst, was in need of medical attention. He was airlifted to the Clickimin landing site and transferred to the Gilbert Bain Hospital.